An Illinois sheriff’s deputy has been charged with murder after fatally shooting a Black woman who called 911 to report a possible prowler.
Sangamon county deputy Sean Grayson, who’s white, shot 36-year-old Sonya Massey in the face in her home in Springfield, Illinois – about 200 miles south of Chicago – after deputies responded to her 6 July call.
Prosecutors alleged that after Grayson, 30, allowed Massey to move a pot of water heating on the stove and set it on a counter. Grayson then “aggressively yelled” at Massey over the pot and pulled his 9mm pistol. Massey then put her hands in the air, declared “I’m sorry” and ducked for cover before being shot in the face.
In its statement issued the day of the incident, the Sangamon county sheriff’s office initially said “deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived” after Massey was shot, but prosecutors allege Grayson discouraged the other deputy from getting his medical kit to save her.
The details emerged from a court document that was filed in support of keeping Grayson in custody without bond. County circuit judge Ryan M Cadagin denied Grayson pretrial release at a hearing Thursday in Springfield.
More than 30 of Massey’s family members and their supporters filled the seats of the courtroom as Cadagin described Grayson’s actions as “such a departure from the expectations of a civil society”.
“The other deputy still rendered aid and stayed with Ms Massey until medical help arrived,” said first assistant state’s attorney Mary Beth Rodgers. Grayson “at no time attempted to render aid to Ms Massey. At no point did this defendant show anything but callousness to human life.”
Grayson, who has since been fired from the department, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Thursday.
Sheriff Jack Campbell said Wednesday that Grayson was fired because it is evident that the deputy “did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards. With our badge we accept enormous responsibility, and if that responsibility is abused, there should be consequences.”
Before his firing, Grayson had been with the Sangamon county sheriff’s department for nearly 18 months. He served as an officer with several other police agencies in central Illinois for about seven years prior.
No one argued with the state’s contention that body camera footage of the incident upheld the first requirement in ordering Grayson detained – that there is a strong presumption that the actions alleged in the indictment occurred.
Body camera footage will be released publicly on Monday, authorities said.
Defense attorney Dan Fultz argued for Grayson’s release, contending the state’s arguments fell short on other arguments. Fultz said Grayson is not a threat to the community because he was compliant and turned himself in within a half-hour after his arrest warrant was issued.
He said the Army veteran owns a home in Riverton, a community just east of Springfield, with his fiancee, whom he plans to marry this fall. His detention would pose a burden on the county, Fultz said, because Grayson requires special medical treatment since he is suffering from stage three colon cancer, which he was diagnosed with last fall.
Fultz asked for Grayson’s release on condition that weapons be removed from his home, that he undergo a mental health evaluation and be put on around-the-clock electronic monitoring.
Cadagin decreed that Massey, weighing about 110lbs (50 kg), posed no threat to the 6ft-3in (191cm), 228lb (103kg) Grayson, who was armed and accompanied by another deputy, and after shooting her refused to render aid.
The leading civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, said the charges were a “step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy”.
As many as 200 people gathered Wednesday at the Springfield NAACP building to express support for Massey and her family.
“I am enraged that another innocent Black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer,” Illinois governor JB Pritzker called Massey’s killing at the hands of police a “tragedy” and said it was “heartbreaking”.
“We’ve seen too much of this, where an innocent person, unarmed, who actually called for assistance, was the target and the victim of, a shooting by a police officer,” Pritzker said after the indictment.
He added: “I feel for not just the families, and the family of the victim, but also the families of Sangamon county, and then all people of color who have had to endure these kinds of circumstances and to witness them because it affects everyone, even if it’s never happened to you specifically.
“I think it affects every person of color and I think all of us who care deeply about justice and protecting people’s rights.”
Grayson is due back in court on 26 August.
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Associated Press contributed to this reporting.
